


A Bad Idea

by LostLine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A dumb one of course, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Basically Jongin is Baekhyun's new roommate and they're both whipped, Fluff and Smut, Kim Jongin | Kai is Whipped, M/M, Mutual Pining, especially so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24056803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostLine/pseuds/LostLine
Summary: Roommates in love — College AU.Warning: There's a goat.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 27
Kudos: 24





	1. The Goat, the Roommate and the Bathroom.

“...and if he seems to be a creep or an organ dealer, you can come to my room at any time — after eleven in the morning — you know that, right?”

Jongin smiled coldly and spoke through his gritted teeth. “The part about coming to your room for help, or the part about making sure not to disturb your sleep?”

“Dude, both, duh.”

“I can’t believe we’re in university already and I’m still stuck with you.”

Sehun — Jongin’s childhood friend — grinned. “Ah, well, our stars out there must be really — here we are! Room 505. Mine is 420,” he added, not missing a single chance to rub it in Jongin’s face again.

“Yeah and that Yixing dude looked to fit right in,” Jongin said, thinking of the weirdly blank faced guy, who was to room with Sehun for the year.

Sehun made his infamous stingray face. “His sheep hat looked suspicious. Why was he wearing a hat, Jongin? It’s a really warm day.”

Jongin shrugged and fished out his key from his pocket. “Here goes.”

The room was pretty much like Sehun’s, except it was bigger and better in every way. It had two windows, instead of one, and there was even a private bathroom. Not even one of those shitty tiniest-bathroom-possible, but one with an actual decent sized shower stall, sink and a toilet. There were no bunk beds, but two separate ones along with two giant desks. There was even a windowsill and a closet in the wall.

The left side of the room was already claimed, so Jongin took the right. Thinking that everyone would have a nice view of his bed whenever the door opened, Jongin mentally made a note of making sure to sleep with some pants on at least. 

“What the fuck is this shit? This is like a hotel room!” Sehun yelled, kicking Jongin’s suitcase. 

“Hey, don’t do —”

“This room is huge!” Sehun pointed unnecessarily at his room. “I’m going to complain, what the actual fuck! You get to jerk off in your PRIVATE BATHROOM!”

“I’m not going to — dude, I won’t live here alo — ” Jongin began but Sehun wasn’t listening.

“I can’t believe this. I have to mix and mingle with twenty other disgusting assholes — how is this room even possible? Maybe I can get my room switched. Yes, there must be a way. Jongin, I gotta go. I need —”

“You can’t,” someone said from behind him.

Jongin and Sehun turned to the door. And there stood the most handsome guy Jongin had ever seen in his life. If he was a cartoon character, his jaw would hit the floor and his tongue would have rolled out.

“I’m sorry?” Sehun said, as Jongin just stared at the guy dumbly.

“You can’t get a room like this.” the handsome guy said. “This floor used to house visiting professors and alike in the old days. Now they give it to older students — a perk for surviving, if you will.”

Even his voice sounded good. Jongin hoped to see him around. Maybe he was one of those older students who supervised the dorms? The one who had to make sure the place was running smoothly? So if Jongin was to be a little bit naughty...

Sehun's face fell. “But,” he said, looking around the room again. “It’s so nice.”

The handsome stranger grinned. “Thanks, yeah. It is.”

Then he was entering the room. Jongin watched him take off his shoes and slump down on the bed happily. He looked at Jongin from where he was lying and said. “I take you’re my roommate?”

Jongin nodded, still gawking. Then he quickly took a grip as Sehun kicked his shin. “Nice to meet you, sunbaenim!” Jongin said loudly and bowed. “I’m Kim Jongin. First year. Please take care of me.”

“Ah, first years are so cute,” the stranger said, laughing at him. “Just call me Baekhyun hyung. You’re not in the army, you know? Relax. I’m not gonna make you run laps. How old are you?”

Jongin nodded again. “Yes… hyung. I’m twenty.”

“How come Jongin got this room if he’s just in his first year?” Sehun asked, looking around the room again with a small pout.

Baekhyun chuckled. “Aaaah,” he began wisely. “You see, every year few rooms get vacated actually. Some graduate, some transfer and few go to the army. Most students request to have their friend or sibling transferred to their rooms, but I didn’t. I wanted to give a random freshman a chance, and — “ Baekhyun lazily looked Jongin up and down and then bit his lips. “Looks like I was right to do so.”

Sehun snorted. 

“What happened to your old roommate?” Jongin asked, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“Yifan hyung graduated and left. He was this tall dude, his feet always stuck out from the bed. But he had a real knack on arcade machines. Always won something. See? He gave me that for my birthday,” Baekhyun said and pointed at a small Deadpool plushie on his desk.

“Nice,” Sehun said, nodding his head slowly. “Well, let’s go get the rest of your stuff,” he said to Jongin, giving him a look that said he knew exactly what was going through Jongin’s head. 

“You like him, don’t you?” Sehun said as soon as Jongin closed the door.

Jongin looked around frantically. “Shhhhhhh!” he hissed and puffed, bringing his finger to his lips for good measure. “What are you, a dumbass? Of course I like him. Did you not see how hot he was?”

Sehun made an unimpressed face. “His face was okay, what else was I supposed to notice? You know my standards for any human being is high! Look at my face!”

Jongin shoved him away and started walking, frantically thinking and trying to get himself to calm the fuck down. How though? He was going to be roommates with the hottest guy he had ever seen. One who had Pikachu bed sheets and a Deadpool plushie, for fuck’s sake. He was perfect.

Sehun helped Jongin bring the rest of his stuff upstairs and went back to his room, complaining loudly — and ignoring everyone in the corridor — about how he was going to shower IN PUBLIC, while Jongin got to keep his goodies private.

Jongin opened the door and used one of his boxes to keep it open while he brought the rest of his stuff inside the room. Baekhyun jumped out of his bed and started helping him.

“No, it’s okay. Thank you, please don’t bother yourself with —”

“I had nothing to do anyway,” Baekhyun said and started to make a small pile with Jongin’s boxes on his side of the room. “By the way, if you want to switch sides, we can play a game for it.”

“Excuse me?” Jongin looked back, still bent over a heavy box.

“I didn’t let you choose a side,” Baekhyun explained, running his eyes over Jongin’s legs quickly — or was Jongin just imagining stuff now? “If you want to take the left side, we can play a game and let the winner get it. The right side is right in front of the door, so…”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Jongin said, hauling the box into the room, where Baekhyun took it from him. “You’re older, after all.”

Baekhyun made a humming noise. “Yeah ... no, I won’t have that here, Jongin.” he said sternly, but still smiling. “I’m the hyung here, but it just means I have to be the responsible one when shit goes deep, and you have to at least pretend to listen to my advice, but that’s all.”

Jongin wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Okay, hyung. Sounds good. I really don’t mind though. I just need to sleep with pants on, in case someone’s standing right outside the door when you leave before me.”

Baekhyun was sitting on the floor and he leaned against a box. “Do you not sleep with clothes on, Jongin?”

“ I - I do! Just underwear.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and smirked, definitely running his eyes over Jongin’s body now.

Jongin flushed at the attention and nervously locked his lips, looking everywhere but at Baekhyun. “I usually sleep naked,” he admitted.

“Well feel free to continue to do so, if you want,” Baekhyun said easily. He seemed to be enjoying himself, at least. 

Jongin took a shower after he was finished bringing in his boxes. He dried himself up and dressed into new clothes in the bathroom, since he was not sure how Baekhyun felt having a stranger walk around half naked. 

“Do you know where the laundry room is?”

Baekhyun was on his bed, playing something on his switch. On his back, with his foot resting on his knee. “Yep, ground floor, left wing. The one with two extremely creaky doors. Seriously, unless you want to pee in your pants and pass out, don’t go down there after midnight. It’s an eerie place. Also, they installed two new washing machines and a dryer, they’re the ones in the furthest corner — use them.”

“Wow, thank you. And why would I do laundry after midnight?”

Baekhyun shrugged and shuffled a bit. “Shit happens, man. Last year, some dude set the microwave to run for six hours. It exploded and I had to stay barefoot in the snow for an hour while he got yelled at.”

Jongin whistled. “Is he still here?”

“Yeah, Kim Jongdae. My friend, actually.” he said, with an air of someone who had just remembered the fact.

Baekhyun was a good roommate, Jongin decided. He seemed fairly neat and always put his headphones on whenever he played a game on his computer. He didn’t smoke, and told Jongin that he wasn’t big on drinks and how he made a really bad drunk. 

They made a pact of taking turns to clean the bathroom weekly. Toilet would be cleaned after each dump by the dumper though. 

Not only was he hot and cute and incredibly funny, Baekhyun was thoughtful and had a good amount of knowledge in pretty much everything. He was also naturally good with people. Every problem Jongin had, Baekhyun was there to help.

Jongin thought he was paying for having a good room and the perfect roommate when the first week of school rolled around. It seemed the universe planned to get everything that could go wrong, to go as horribly wrong as possible. 

On his first day, a girl sitting behind Jongin somehow spilled her iced coffee all over his back as she got up. Jongin quickly went back to his room to get changed. Baekhyun, who had been playing some bloody game, grinned and watched him get changed. He promised to put Jongin’s jacket and shirt into the laundry for him though.

That evening, their upstairs neighbor seemed to have multiplied into fifty. Jongin sat on his bed, staring into the void, until Baekhyun arrived and went up to yell at whoever was up there. The blasting music and the loud thumps of the footsteps ceased immediately. Baekhyun laughed at Jongin and threw him a small bag, which contained two strawberry flavored donuts.

Jongin got harassed by seniors who wanted him to join their club. Got chased by an angry goat — what was a goat even doing on campus? Baekhyun laughed himself to tears when sweaty and teary Jongin came to their room and explained what happened to him. Baekhyun told Jongin the goat was called Suho.

On Thursday, a guy actually set Jongin on fire. Jongin was just minding his own business and thinking of how ridiculously hot Baekhyun looked with his glasses on, when a burst of flame ruined his moment. There was a whole lot of screaming and swearing and someone frantically hitting him with something.

When Jongin — wondering what the fuck was up with the school, and if he needed exorcism — returned to their room, Baekhyun took one look at Jongin and told him to take his jacket off, which had one side almost completely burned off. Baekhyun disappeared with the jacket and then came back with four hundred thousand won in cash.

“But my jacket — I only got it for like a hundred and twenty thousand. Maybe thirty, it’s pretty old.”

“He set you on fire, so there should be some compensation for emotional damage,” Baekhyun said and set the money on Jongin’s desk. “Besides, Chanyeol is loaded. I’ll rip him off for you anytime.”

He and Baekhyun used some of the ripped off money that night to order some pizza and fried chicken, and they played games together well until three in the morning. Jongin tried very hard not to do something very stupid — like kissing Baekhyun — whenever they won and high-fived giddily.

On friday, Baekhyun told Jongin there was to be an open party in the abandoned library building, which was going to be re-built over the summer vacation. So it was a party to welcome the new school year as well as that of a farewell to one of the scariest and most definitely haunted spots of their school. The party itself would be right in front of the building, Baekhyun explained, as the ancient library probably didn’t even have a proper working electricity system. There was to be a bonfire and a bunch of grilled food. Jongin and Baekhyun both threw in some money when a girl came around their dorm, holding a jar and told them it was for the party. Meat was some expensive shit. 

That day, Jongin successfully found all his classes without being late. He didn’t get harassed by any of the seniors and didn’t even catch a sight of Suho, or, thankfully, Chanyeol. So he came back to their room in a rather good mood and found Baekhyun bent over his desk, his toes barely touching the floor. 

“Eh … hyung? Whatcha going?”

“Jongin?” came Baekhyun’s muffled sound. Probably too much blood into his head, Jongin thought. “I dropped my lube. Can you help — you’re way taller than me.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jongin said and dropped his bag, gulping at the sight of Baekhyun’s perky little butt, shown so perfectly clear when Baekhyun’s sweatpants were stretched like this.

Their desks were very heavy and were old style. Its front was completely blocked so if you dropped something off your desk, you couldn’t just get under your desk to get it. It would have fallen between the desk and the wall. So it was either bend over and struggle, or move the heavy fucker and struggle.

Jongin was suddenly very thankful for the wide surface as Baekhyun emerged, looking wild and flushed. Without thinking he started to fix Baekhyun’s hair and a few seconds had already passed when Jongin realized what he was doing.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, smiling down at the ground. “I’ll just — your lube, yeah?”

“Yeah, yep. If you don’t mind.”

Jongin had to really go deep to retrieve the lube. No wonder Baekhyun couldn’t get it. The desk was just way too wide. Baekhyun’s pink pencil had also dropped, so he picked that up too.

“Here you go,” he said, handing the lost goodies. “We really need to make sure to vacuum that gap. It’s really dusty already.” he looked around awkwardly, suddenly realising that he just got Baekhyun’s lube for him. Lube! “Umm, so I can come back? If you were going to — I mean, I just…”

“What, Jongin?” Baekhyun whispered, looking up at him. “What do you think I was going to do? Hmm?””

Baekhyun’s eyes were so really pretty, and he was wearing those round glasses again. He smelled good too. Sweet and deep. And his hair had felt so soft in his fingers. It smelled like wild flowers.

Jongin felt himself leaning down a bit and Baekhyun’s tongue darted out between his lips and then went back in just as quickly.

Their door opened up with a loud bang and Jongin jumped on his feet. Baekhyun just sighed and leaned to his left to see the intruder.

It was Mr. Oh Sehun. Typical, Jongin thought. Born to ruin any and all special moments on earth. 

“Yes?” Baekhyun said coolly, taking in Sehun’s state. 

Sehun brought his hands together sharply and took a proper begging stance, and said, “Please let me take a shower here, just now and then! I beg of you! I can’t do it. Baekhyun hyung, please,”

He only had a towel wrapped around his waist and was holding his little bathroom basket. He was also … wet.

“Dude, you’re gonna get cold!” Jongin opened up their wardrobe, got a new towel and wrapped it around Sehun’s chest. “What happened?”

“Sit down,” Baekhyun said politely, seemingly softening at how pathetic Sehun looked. 

Sehun sat on Jongin’s bed with him. Jongin wrapped his arm around Sehun’s back and pulled him close. 

Baekhyun sat across them on his own bed. “What happened?”

“I was just taking my shower and … I think the guy in the stall next to mine was masturbating! How can he do that? How can he do that, Jongin?” he asked, staring at Jongin with disturbing eyes. “Has he no shame?”

Jongin shifted around uncomfortably. “Yes, that’s disturbing.” he looked at Baekhyun, silently pleading for help.

“Shameless bastard,” Baekhyun said seriously, nodding his pretty head up and down.

“And …” Sehun clutched his head with his hands and let out a mirthless laughter. “I think two people were actually having sex. One of them was a girl! And someone had this music playing and it was horrible. Horrible! They were just screeching. And when I was running away, one stall had its door open and this tall dude was washing Suho!”

Jonglin blinked. “Wait, you know Suho? That asshole of a goat?”

Sehun blinked. “Of course I Know — he’s the guardian of this school and THAT’S WHAT GOT YOUR ATTENTION! PEOPLE ARE HAVING SEX WHILE I WASH MY JUNK, JONGIN!’ he screamed into Jongin’s ears. 

Jongin reeled back, trying to get away but Sehun held him tight with a grip on his shoulders, and screamed some more, “I’LL GO FULL PSYCHO BEFORE THIS SEMESTER ENDS, JONGIN!”

“Here, eat,”

Jongin and Sehun both blinked and looked up. Baekhyun was holding out some chocolate. It was his favorite, the ones with little holes in them.

“Thank you,” Sehun said. He ripped open the package and took a bite. “Thank you.”

Baekhyun sat down on his bed again and watched Sehun eat his chocolate for a bit. Then he said, “You can take a shower here whenever you want. Just don’t tell anyone.”

Sehun made a pathetic whimpering noise and nodded his head enthusiastically. “Thank you, hyung! I’ll be forever grateful.”

Baekhyun grinned. “Nice dick, by the way,”

Sehun looked at Jongin, confused. Jongin, just as confused, but mostly sulky about how Baekhyun complimented Sehun’s dick and not his own, shrugged. There was a moment where they looked at each other in an equally dumb and confused state before they gasped.

Sehun shut his legs and started screaming and Jongin fell back on his bed, in a fit of giggles. Through his teary eyes, he saw Baekhyun crack open a can of cola.


	2. The Party Begins.

The party was just starting when Jongin and Baekhyun arrived. Jongin saw Chanyeol and some other guy bringing in grills, and bags and sacks of what was hopefully food. 

“Is he in charge?” Jongin asked Baekhyun.

“Self-proclaimed. Chanyeol loves gatherings and he loves cooking when it comes to stuff like this. I know he set you on fire, but if you just learn to excuse his experiments with fire, he’s actually an okay person to be around with. That short dude next to him is Jongdae — the microwave guy I told you about?”

Jongin chuckled. “I forgot to ask, just how drunk was he?”

Baekhyun pointed at an empty bench and they sat down. They could see everything, but were in a safe distance from Chanyeol and Jongdae. Chanyeol was excitedly waving around a torch lighter.

“Miraculously, not at all. But it was during the midterms — everyone was at some level of insanity. I know a girl who went around cleaning everyone’s rooms instead of studying for her exams.”

“Did she pass?”

“Oh yeah. Maintained her 4.0”

“Damn.”

A very pretty girl with round glasses came around, pushing a trolley full of cans of beer. She gave them one each.

“Thank you,”

“Thanks, baby.”

“You know her?” Jongin asked, cracking his can open. It made a satisfying click and the sound of fizz made Jongin feel good. The air was cool and had a fresh smell to it. A small group of people had started playing dodgeball, two guys were playing catch, and more and more people were arriving from everywhere. Chanyeol was starting fire on one of the grills. The Jongdae dude was sitting cross legged on a chair and shouting instructions at random people, who looked confused for a second but obeyed him anyway.

“Yeah, she works in the library. One of the best students of this school.”

“What’s her major?”

“Creative Writing. I know she doubles in something else but I forgot. Was it Japanese Literature or Interior Design. She sometimes lets me read what she’s writing and — you’ll see, she’s going to whip out a bestseller very soon.”

Jongin let out a low whistle. 

“Yeah. So what’s up with your friend Sehun? Why is he so…”

“Anal?” Jongin suggested.

Baekhyun laughed and shook his head. “Nah, I mean he’s adorable but just too — like, he never played outside.”

“That is it, actually. Sehun is an only child and he’s really good with being alone. I met him in kindergarten and we’ve been friends since. I don’t know what would have happened to him if we didn’t become friends. I mean, whenever we were placed in different classes, I never heard him being close with the kids from his class. He was civil and polite, and nobody was mean to him or anything, but it was just me for him, you know?”

Baekhyun was suddenly looking very serious. “Maybe — Have you considered, Jongin? That he might be…”

“Nah. Sehun’s straight. I was always just a friend to him. He said he didn’t click with others as much as he did with me. So after school, he would hang out with me and if I was busy, he’d just stay at home and play games on his own. Both his parents are doctors — that’s why he's a little bit of a germ freak by the way.”

“Aaah, that makes sense.”

“Yeah. So he is not very good at mingling with others. Never really had to. We were together throughout our whole life, and this is his first time trying to do things almost all on his own. He can be a prude since he didn’t have anyone else other than me to bring the dirt to him. He was always kinda awkward whenever I tried to, like, talk about sex and stuff with him, so I never pushed it.”

Baekhyun took a few large gulps and breathed out heavily, grimacing. “Now I just feel bad.” 

“Nah, it’s not like you were mean about it.” 

“I still feel bad.”

“You’re letting him shower in your room.”

“Our room.”

Jongin was about to take another sip of his beer but stopped and let his hand drop down. He looked at Baekhyun who was looking uncharacteristically shy. 

“Yeah, our room.”

As the smell of grilled meat went around, Jongin sat with Baekhyun on their little bench and talked about nothings while drinking their beer. He noticed many people greet Baekhyun, wave at Baekhyun, call for Baekhyun, and ask Baekhyun to join them. Jongin felt like he was holding Baekhyun back.

“You can … hyung, maybe you should go and hang out with your friends.” he said timidly.

Baekhyun looked at him. “I am hanging out with my friend.” 

Jongin wasn’t convinced. Of course Baekhyun was popular, it’s not like Jongin didn’t notice the amount of people came knocking on their doors, or the calls and texts Baekhyun got throughout the day.

“Really, Jongin,” Baekhyun said softly. “I want to be here.”

Suddenly his cheeks and ears felt really warm and Jongin just nodded, resolutely looking down at the ground.

“At least until the second batch of meat is ready. Then we’ll go and stuff our faces until we pass out.”

“Why the second batch?” Jongin asked, grinning. Really, he was unable to feel down with Baekhyun around, who was looking particularly cute tonight with his yellow hoodie tucked behind his big ears.

“Chanyeol always either overcooks or undercooks the first round,” Baekhyun said, grinning back at him. 

“I don’t know him, but that’s so typical of him,” Jongin said, braving a glimpse at Baekhyun’s lips.

“Yeah, it is.” Baekhyun said softly, leaning in closer to him, still smiling.

Jongin knew it was a bad idea — they had just met and Jongin knew nothing about dating — but how could he turn away when Baekhyun was this close to him? His lips looked really soft. Pink and pretty.

When a loud bang and a scream interrupted their moment, Jongin groaned and hung his head down. Baekhyun just laughed and shouted with the others, as the firework exploded high in the air.

It was purple and gold and then blue and green and then a whole bunch of them mixed up with each other. Students shot them one after another. Jongin and Baekhyun covered their ears with their hands (who knew fireworks were this loud from close distance?) and jumped every time a firework was shot, laughing themselves into near tears. 

A very tall guy came running and stopped the mad students from launching any more fireworks. 

“That’s for AFTER!” he said and yanked a particularly big looking one from a student. He had jet black hair and fierce eyes, and his black jeans and the leather jacket made him look like a protagonist of an action movie. His hair was long enough to be tied into a ponytail at the back of his head. Jongin felt like the dude should have a sword, or a handgun, and a sexy cut on his cheek.

All the girls were looking at him in a fit of giggles. There were lots of blushing and hiding faces behind their hands.

“Who’s that?” Jongin asked. “Who has legs like that?  _ Look  _ at them!”

Baekhyun gave him a sly look. “Like what you see?”

Jongin spluttered. “No! I mean, objectively? Anyone can appreciate legs like that, hyung! Just — look!” he pointed at the tall dude.”

“That’s Kim Woobin, one of the TAs.” Baekhyun said and made a face like Sehun’s stingray one, nodding. “So I see, that’s your type. Naturally … naturally, who wouldn’t go for legs like that.” 

“Hyung, he’s not my type. I didn’t even … I don’t think —”

“As expected,” Baekhyun sighed dramatically and kicked his legs around in the air. “Being tall is the best.”

“Of course it is.” someone whispered right next to them. 

Jongin and Baekhyun both screamed and jumped on to their feet. Jongdae was standing behind them, with an unimpressed and disgusted expression.

“ _ You! _ ” Baekhyun roared. “Don’t sneak up on people like that? What if I got a heart attack just now, huh? Will you take responsibility? Will you? Will you?  _ Why _ are you even holding a knife, you lunatic?”

“For dramatic exposure,” Jongdae said, simply. He was indeed holding his both hands up to his chest. One had a fork with a piece of meat on it. The other one was holding a big, bloody knife. He was also chewing on something. Jongin was strongly reminded of a lazy camel, or a chameleon. 

“Here,” he offered the meat for Jongin. “Eat up.”

“No,” Baekhyun began but Jongin, wanting to make a good impression on Baekhyun's friend, bowed slightly, thanked him and took the meat into his mouth. It was extremely salty and sour. He didn’t know if he wanted to spit it out back to Jongdae’s face or just drop and die.

“It’s good,” he said and with a great effort, swallowed it.

“Of course it wasn’t. You look like you just got stabbed. What did you do with it, Jongdae?” Baekhyun demanded, passing Jongin a bottle of water. Jongin took it and gulped it down madly.

“Dipped it in a jar of soy sauce and then salt,” Jongdae said, shrugging. His face was still infuriatingly passive. Jongin wanted to hit it with something, like a brick.

“Don’t eat anything he gives you,” Baekhyun said, fishing out a bar of chocolate from his hoodie’s pocket and giving it to Jongin. “His one and only joy in life is watching people suffer.”

“Jongdaaaaae! JONGDAE! WHOAAAAAA…”

Quite a lot of people screamed. The grill machine Chanyeol was working had just erupted some fire out. Jongin saw Kim Woobin curse and make his way to Chanyeol with fury. One of the students grabbed a firework and ran away. 

Jongdae didn’t even look back at Chanyeol to see what happened. He just groaned and tilted his head back. He stayed there like that for a few seconds, just groaning into the open air. “Aaaahhhhghhghhgh ….” Then he snapped his head back up and left. 

“What is this school?” Jongin slumped down on the ground.

Baekhyun sniggered. “I know, right? It’s the best.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Sehun will arrive. Games will be played. Food will be devoured. A dare will be taken. And a kiss will be planted.


	3. The Game, the Food, and the Dare.

Not long after Jongdae’s attempt to poison Jongin (Baekhyun promised to get back at Jongdae for him, much to Jongin’s delight), Sehun arrived. With Suho.

“Eugh!” Jongin hastily took a few steps back and hid behind Baekhyun, who put his hands back and held Jongin’s hips.

Sehun snorted. “Don’t be mean. He’s sorry!” he said, rubbing the devil’s head. “You’re hurting his feelings, Jongin.”

“HE tried to kill me!” Jongin shot back, feeling particularly brave behind Baekhyun.

“Maybe he just wanted to play with you.” Sehun deadpanned.

The stupid goat wasn’t even listening to any of them. He was just moving its jaw up and down…

“What’s he eating?” Jongin demanded. “A finger? Of all people to befriend, Sehun —”

“He’s eating a carrot,” Sehun said exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. “I was just coming here alone and then he just started walking with me. He even had this around his neck. Look, isn’t it cute?”

Sehun showed a small bag with long strings, full of baby carrots. He was talking about Suho like he was a baby learning to crawl, not a murder machine with dangerous horns.

“Oh yeah, Seulgi made that for Suho last year,” Baekhyun said. “He usually has it around his neck so anyone can put food for him.”

“Then everyone just carries around food for a goat?” Jongin said.

Baekhyun giggled. “He’s a goat, Jongin. He eats grass.”

“Oh,”

“Idiot,” Sehun said, waving Suho bye as the goat (thankfully) walked away. “Did I miss anything?”

“Not much. Some people launched the fireworks way early.”

“Yeah, I heard the sound. Is it all finished? I wanted to watch it.”

“Nah, look,” Baekhyun pointed at Kim Woobin, who was sitting on a chair, guarding the remaining small pile of fireworks. “Besides, I’ll bet you anything Chanyeol sent someone to get more fireworks. He loves them.”

“Whoa, who’s that? Sitting there?”

“Kim Woobin. Apparently he’s a TA.” Jongin answered.

“He looks so cool. Like from a movie, or something.”

“I’ll go get Sehun a beer,” Baekhyun said and got up from their bench. Jongin watched him go, wondering if he was being stupid to hope Baekhyun was jealous.

He heaved a sigh and said, “How are you doing with Yixing?”

Sehun shrugged indifferently. “He’s okay. Usually only comes to the room to sleep at night. I have no idea what he does during the day, apart from going to classes, that is.”

“What’s his major? Don’t you guys talk?”

“Chemistry. We do talk. Like ‘good morning’ or ‘goodnight’ or ‘sorry, did my alarm wake you up?’ stuff like that.”

“That’s not talking.” Jongin grimaced.

Sehun looked at him. “What, you and Baekhyun hyung getting along well?”

Jongin nodded and smiled. “Yeah, he’s awesome. We have lots of things in common. Everything that came up so far, we were on the same page.”

“Maybe he’s just letting you be,” Sehun reasoned. “Because you’re new and young.”

Jongin frowned. He had never thought about it like that. Maybe Sehun had a point.

“He really seems to like you though, maybe that’s why he’s letting you call all the shots, if he’s doing that. Yesterday, when you got up to get more rice, Baekhyun hyung entered the cafeteria. He was with a friend and his friend pointed at you.”

“What? Why? What did hyung say?”

“They were too far for me to hear, dumbass. But Baekhyun hyung just nudged his friend in the side. He smiled though.”

“But I didn’t see him! If he was in the cafeteria, why didn’t you tell me?” Jongin whined and then stopped himself. “Why am I acting like a middle schooler?”

“Because,” Sehun breathed in deeply. “you, my dear friend, have a crush. And they left before you came back. I mean, I guess they came to eat but another dude showed and told them something and they all left in a hurry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?”

“I forgot. One of the lunch ladies started hitting a dude with her spoon, remember? Because his target ducked down and that dumpling hit her in the face instead?”

Jongin and Sehun were still laughing about the ear pulling and the scolding when Baekhyun came back with cold beer and steaming hot meat. 

After they ate their fill, Jongin, Sehun and Baekhyun decided to join the game of dodgeball, which had been gradually getting bigger and bigger.

“We claim Baekhyun!” a girl shouted. “And if you two join the other team, we’ll be even.”

Baekhyun winked at Jongin and joined the other side.

It was brutal. Sehun flattened himself on the floor to dodge a ball that was going so fast, it should have been caught on fire. Jongin got hit in the stomach pretty hard but he managed to catch it and throw it back at the girl who threw it at him. She jumped high in the air, nearly doing a perfect split, to save herself. Two people left the field with a bloody nose, waving their fists at their “assaulters”. 

“What the — why are these people taking this so seriously?” Sehun hissed, colliding into Jongin. 

“Dunno, but makes me want to win.” Jongin said, steadying Sehun.

“Ng.”

The feeling was contagious, soon everyone was playing like their lives depended on it. Like an evil dictator king was going to behead the losing team.

Baekhyun was good. He was really really good. He did spectacular moves to save himself and threw himself in every direction possible to save his teammates who were hit. 

Jongdae came to join and was outed immediately by Sehun, who had kicked the ball. Nobody helped Jongdae as he fell on the ground, groaning, but instead were hurriedly dragged out of the game by his teammates. Jongin high-fived Sehun and went back to the game with a newly found surge of energy. 

Jongin knew he was holding back whenever he got the ball and if Baekhyun was in front of him. He just simply chose a new target, but that split second gave the new target a chance to either dodge the ball, or catch it. 

He knew Baekhyun was going easy on him too. Baekhyun single-handedly got rid of three of Jongin’s teammates and assisted with another two. He was extremely agile on his feet and had a good sense of game. Laughing hysterically, Baekhyun was obviously enjoying the game the most. But whenever Sehun and Jongin got on his way, Baekhyun hesitated and threw his ball at someone else.

The girl who claimed Baekhyun for her team was an ace player too. She threw the ball at Jongin, who had to bend himself backwards to avoid it. Someone threw it back at her, but she easily caught the ball and revived a teammate. Sehun got hit on his shoulder and it bounced away, going out of the line. Jongin ran and caught it in the air and threw it back at Sehun before he fell.

“How are you guys so good?” she exclaimed, her eyes on fire. But she was grinning and seemed to be someone who just liked to play their game to the fullest.

“We dance,” Jongin answered from the ground, thankfully accepting the two bottles of water a girl passed at him. It was the same pretty girl who gave him and Baekhyun beer earlier. 

He drank one of the water and then dumped the other one on his head to wash away the sweat. “Come on, Sehun! Get me back in!”

“Treah — trying!” Sehun shouted back, jumping to his left.

Jongin breathed heavily. It was so good to see Sehun in his zone again. He was looking very handsome and charming as he dodged ball after ball, and doing his best to play along with his teammates. Sure enough, people had started to notice Sehun. Jongin was satisfied to see two girls sitting on the ground taking pictures of him. They saw Jongin looking and put the phone down. One of them mouthed  _ sorry _ . 

“It’s okay,” Jongin said and went back to watching the game.

A few minutes later, Baekhyun sacrificed himself to save the ace girl. He came to sit beside Jongin, and the pretty girl appeared out of nowhere and gave them four bottles of water.

“Thank you, baby,” Baekhyun moaned out and groaned loudly as he kicked his legs out.

Jongin was very thankful for how very sweaty and red he was already, because he knew his cheeks and ear were starting to turn red. He wondered if what he just heard was something similar to Baekhyun’s _ other kinds  _ of moans.

Baekhyun gulped down a bottle of water and then, like Jongin, used another one to wash his face and hair. He looked quite different with his hair all wet, Jongin thought. He looked like a mouse? More soft and vulnerable. But then Baekhyun started to push his hair back and he turned sharper and sexier with each stroke.

“So, you dance?” Baekhyun said, sounding rougher than Jongin ever heard him before. It was hot.

“Y-yes.”

“Hmm, and when were you gonna tell me this?” Baekhyun asked, tilting back and supporting himself with his arms on the ground. 

Jongin held Baekhyun’s gaze for a moment before looking forward again. He ducked his head. “I dunno — just never came out. How are you so good? You were like a ninja.”

“I know he looks like toilet paper, but Baekhyun’s actually pretty badass.” Chanyeol said, joining them on the ground. He was holding a plate full of fully grilled meat and some fresh veggies.

Baekhyun and Jongin both dived in.

“He has a black belt in Haido.”

“Das nod a thin” Baekhyun mumbled through mouthful of food.

“Haikido?”

“You mean Aikido?” Jongin said.

Chanyeol’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that’s it.”

“I never even touched the ‘A’ of Aikido, dumbass. They don’t even have black belts.”

“Wait, really?!”

“No, I lied, dipshit. I do have a black belt in Aikido.”

Jongin low whistled, swallowing heavily. 

“And you definitely have one in Judo and jutsu.”

“You mean Jujutsu? Or Jiu-jitsu?” Jongin said, wondering what was wrong with Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol turned and looked at Jongin, as if it was his first time seeing him. “I’m Park Chanyeol.”

“Yes, you set me on fire yesterday.”

Chanyeol laughed. “Hehehuehuehuehuehue… did I? That was you? You’re Baekhyun’s.”

Baekhyun choked and started pounding his chest. He shook his head furiously at Chanyeol, and was chewing his food rapidly. He looked like a squirrel with his cheeks full.

“Pardon?” Jongin said, rubbing Baekhyun’s back. 

“Baekhyun’s roommate,” Chanyeol said calmly. “He came screaming bloody murder. You’d think I hurt his baby. Or,” Chanyeol winked at Baekhyun. “Did I?”

“Fuck off, Chanyeol. Leave the food.”

Jongin swallowed and licked his lips. It was his first time hearing Baekhyun swear. It was hot as hell. He wondered if Baekhyun was a casual-curser and was being considerate towards Jongin this whole time. The thought made him feel even warmer.

Chanyeol tutted and got up to his feet, saying how he was going to leave anyway. He opened his mouth to say something else to Jongin, but Baekhyun shut him off with a fierce look. 

All of a sudden, people started shouting and whooping at a newcomer. He was tall and lean. His big eyes were shining.

“Minho hyung! I claim Minho hyung!”

“You can’t claim a person, you dipshit! We’ll count the members!”

“You’ve been claiming people all night.”

“No fair, you guys got those two hot dancers!”

“I want Minho oppa!”

“Let him choose!”

“Do you guys even know if he wants to play?”

“It’s Choi Minho — he’ll play.”

“He’ll play to the death.”   
  


“Hell yeah, I will!” The Minho guy shouted and people cheered. “But let’s start from the beginning. Choose the players fairly.”

Baekhyun got up to his feet and held his hand out for Jongin. “Come on, _hot dancer_ _guy_.”

This time, Jongin was in the same team as Baekhyun. Sehun was with Minho on the other team. The ace girl from Baekhyun’s previous team was there too. The girl who did split in the air was, thankfully, standing right beside Jongin.

It was a tight match; Minho had distributed the players well. The ball Sehun threw passed so close to Jongin’s head that the whooshing sound rang his ears. One guy took the ball and threw it back with a mighty roar. Minho caught in the air and threw it back. 

Anyone who got hit was back in the game in no time. So after gruelling twenty minutes, everyone was drenched in sweat and were breathing heavily. The pretty Water Angel girl suggested that whoever got hit with the ball would be out of the game for good, so the last standing member would bring victory to their team. Everyone agreed and soon the battlefield had only eleven people left. Six in Minho dude’s team and five in Jongin and Baekhyun’s team.

Jongin watched Sehun pass the ball to Minho, who passed it to the ace girl, who passed it to Sehun, who…

“Make up your — ” the splitter girl started shouting but she yelped and threw herself on the ground as the ball came soaring right at her. Jongin asked her if she was okay and when he looked up again, it was too late. The second ball hit his arm and Jongin sighed in defeat. A small part of him was glad that he was out; he was extremely tired. Baekhyun gently patted him on the back.

Baekhyun took revenge for Jongin and hit the guy, who got Jongin, right on the crotch. Poor guy had to crawl out of the field.

The ace girl got hit as she tried to protect Sehun. Baekhyun’s teammate tried to catch the ball but failed. Sehun tried to dodge a ball but ran into another teammate and got hit on the ass. Few girls giggled and Sehun grinning sheepishly left the field and joined Jongin.

Then there was only Baekhyun against Minho and another girl, who had barely broken a sweat.

“These people are beasts,” Sehun said, wiping his face with his t-shirt. “I think I just got my weekly workout.”

“I don’t think we played like this since we were, like, ten.” Jongin said, still trying to get his breathing under control.

Baekhyun never stood a chance, but he did hold out for a minute, hopping from left to right before he got hit in the chest and fell on the ground dramatically. 

The Minho dude and the girl cheered and hugged, as their teammates, shouting and yelling, came to lift them up in the air.

Jongin got up and went to Baekhyun. 

“Hi,” he said, looking down at Baekhyun’s sweaty face. His hair was splattered flat over his forehead so Jongin pushed it back for him. His cheeks were extremely pink and he was panting very heavily. 

“Hi,”

Jongin really wanted to lean down. He just… Baekhyun was right there, underneath him. Sweaty and out of breath. Looking very pretty and thoroughly — 

“Good game.” Jongin croaked out. “You’re amazing.”

“Thanks. I don’t think I can get up though.”

“You have to. Come on, I brought you a towel. Don’t want you to get sick.”

“Awww,” Baekhyun let Jongin pull him up to a sitting position. “Where did you get this towel? It smells new.”

“That Water Angel girl gave me. Whatever I need, she keeps giving it to me.”

Baekhyun chuckled, rubbing his hair dry. “Yeah, she does that.”

They joined Sehun and Minho and a few others on a table nearby. They had shit ton of pizza. 

“Minho hyung said chicken’s coming,” Sehun said happily.

“Good game, Baek,” The Minho dude said and offered out a can of beer. 

“Thanks, hyung, but I already had my can,” Baekhyun said and took a slice of pizza instead.

“Why can’t you drink another?” Sehun asked.

“Baekhyun can’t hold his liquor.” Jongdae said giddily. How had Jongin not noticed him?

“Like, does he throw up and stuff?”

“Worse,” Chanyeol said and dumped five boxes of chicken on the table. “Joy, Seulgi said she and Irene are going back to get jackets.”

“Okay, thanks,” a girl with blazing red hair — Joy — said, wiping a beer trace from her chin with the back of her hand.

“What do you do?” Jongin whispered at Baekhyun. “What’s worse than throwing up?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer but just shook his head and stuffed a slice of pizza into Jongin’s mouth. 

“I’m gonna miss this old place,” Minho dude said fondly, looking up at the dark building.

“Yeah. I mean I pissed myself the night I woke up in the main hall, but…” Chanyeol said and held his can of beer high. “To the haunted library!”

“TO THE HAUNTED LIBRARY!” they all yelled and drank a toast. Baekhyun and Jongin were drinking cola. 

“Is it really haunted?” Joy asked. “I know lots of pranks were played and I know that anyone who went in there says it’s haunted because they think they earned the right, but — just tell me,” she looked at the Minho dude. “Did you guys really see a girl in a dress?”

“I did! I swear!” the Minho dude answered, leaning towards Joy. He looked serious enough. “I know I was wasted but I definitely saw a girl. She was sitting on a table and watching us!”

“Minho hyung and his friends were dared to spend the night in the library,” Baekhyun explained to Jongin and Sehun. “They didn’t make the night.”

“Because I saw a ghost!”

“What if it was just a girl from our school?”

The Minho dude shook his head. “No — you don’t understand. She was… _gone_. I know, I know that I saw her once for a second, but she wasn’t there. Do you know what I mean? She didn’t have the light we have in us. She looked faint and… sad? But — and maybe I imagined — but she smiled at me.”

“A huge smile that says she’s going to eat your liver?” Jongdae said.

Joy shivered and shuffled closer to the girl next to her. 

“No… just a sad little awkward smile. Like, the ones you give a stranger you know you’re not gonna see again.”

“Because she’d be eating your liver.”

“What is wrong with you?” A girl shrieked and Jongdae cackled loudly. 

“What? It’s fun. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“I think there is,” Jongin said. “How can you just be… gone, when you die? Where will your thoughts and wishes go?”

“Dude,” Joy said. “I’m not drunk enough for talks like that.”

“Okay, smartass.” the Minho dude said to Jongdae. “How about you go in there now and bring us  _ the book? _ ”

“OooOoooooooooOh!”

“Interesting!” Chanyeol whispered.

Jongdae raised an eyebrow. “What do I get if I come out in one piece?”

“I’ll owe you a favor.” Minho said coolly. “Anytime you need me, wherever you call me to, whatever you want, I’ll do it. But if you see her, I get to train you for a week.”

“OoooOoHoohOoo!”

“ _ Very  _ interesting!” Chanyeol whispered.

“Deal.”

“Deal.”

The Minho dude shook hands with Jongdae.

Jongdae turned to Jongin. “And  _ you _ , pretty boy. I dare you and Baekhyun to go in there and get  _ the book _ before me.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I know Baekhyun will get back at me earlier. If I get it before you guys, Baekhyun will cancel his little revenge. I get to kill two birds with one stone.”

“And if we win? What will we get?” Baekhyun said, already getting up to his feet.

Sehun cast a worried look at Jongin, who tried to smile. He was no good with scary places. He was no good with ghosts or ghouls or any kind of supernatural stuff. He was going to piss his pants and faint. 

“I’ll clean your room for a week. But you guys can’t split in there, won’t be fair since I'm alone.”

“There is a reason you’re always alone,” Chanyeol said quickly and got out of the way before Jongdae could smack him.

“Dare accepted,” Baekhyun said swiftly and shook hands with Jongdae. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know >< I promised a planted kiss and you guys should get to read about the dare, but this chapter was getting too long so I cut it here. But, on the bright side, since I already wrote half of the next chapter, it shouldn't be long before I put it out ^^
> 
> I swear, I have no control whatsoever over any of the characters here — even Suho just came in on his own.


	4. Is Your Acne Looking Unusual? You're Going to Die!

The air was buzzing with excitement and flies as they left. Chanyeol promised them a huge bonfire for the time they got back. Sehun hugged Jongin tightly and asked if he could move into his room if Jongin didn’t make it out. Jongin said he could.

“So what is this  _ The Book _ you guys kept saying?” Jongin asked Baekhyun.

“It’s the only book you’ll ever need as a student here,” Jongdae replied instead, much to Jongin’s dismay.

Jongdae laughed when he caught Jongin’s expression. “Baekhyun, your puppy is sulking,”

“The Book is legendary notes taken by some of the best students who went here,” Baekhyun said, completely ignoring Jongdae, who spluttered. “They say there’s notes for pretty much all majors. Some lucky ones will have two, maybe even three, students’ blood and sweat and tears. I don’t know when it started, but some seniors started leaving their notebooks to their favorite juniors when they graduated.”

“Or little siblings,” Jongdae said.   
  


“Then they started compiling them into a giant folder. Everything you can dream of, not just seminar or lecture notes —”

“Most elaborate notes you’ll ever read.” Jongdae interrupted. “Tips on professors, how much chance they give you. How often they repeat questions on exams. And —” Jongdae stopped (for a dramatic effect, Jongin guessed) and looked at Jongin. “What actually came out on exams. AND!” he shouted louder and came very unnecessarily close to Jongin and whispered. “All the copies of essays and assignments they did.”

“Go away.” Baekhyun pushed Jongdae aside. “Come on, Jongin.” he added to him in a much different tone he used on the freak. “Let’s go in.”

The doors opened with a mighty groan, like a beast waking up from a long nap.

“Well, won’t hold you guys back from getting it on in this  _ magical _ place!” Jongdae said, winking at Jongin, who immediately felt sick at the sight. “I’m going up to the top, where they definitely left the book.”

Jongin meant to go after him, but a soft hand was placed on his own. Jongin looked down at Baekhyun, who was watching Jongdae run upstairs with his phone’s flashlight on. He shook his head slightly and Jongin stayed quiet.

“Let’s just look around — who knows if they even left it here!” Baekhyun said, a little bit too loudly, since Jongin was right next to him.

Baekhyun then led him to their right where four rays of light were coming down. Jongin looked up and saw square windows on the roof. All of them were open.

“How do they open those windows?” he wondered aloud. “Even now, when I see them in malls, I feel bad for those who go up there.”

“Ah, it’s not that hard. You just go up to the roof and be really careful as you walk. These days, they probably use protective gears and stuff. But this one is dangerous, yeah; the roof is round.”

It was a creepy place. Apart from where they stood, the library didn’t see a single ray of light. Jongin wouldn’t go through the empty halls and the abandoned rooms even if they gave him a chest full of diamonds — okay, fine, for a chest full of diamonds, it was definitely worth taking the risk of getting killed by a mad ghost in a white dress.

Baekhyun leaned against one of the heavy-looking desks and Jongin stood next to him. Usually he would have stood opposite of Baekhyun, but he wanted to be as close as possible to him.

“Why did they hide The Book here, again?” Jongin said, shivering slightly as he imagined the pitch blackness that stood behind them. He could just see a weird shape with long hair, waiting for them to look back. It was no good to keep his back exposed.

“Well last year, some of the seniors, Minseok hyung included, deemed the book to be too powerful a weapon for one to wield. So they decided that that one should be the craziest, cold-blooded fucker — sorry — of the school. They hid the book, graduated and never looked back.”

Jongin looked at Baekhyun, who was gazing up at the partially-in-view moon, looking very pretty. “Hyung, do you curse? Usually? If you do, I don’t want you to … don’t hold back because of me.”

“Not much. I usually curse at my friends as a joke. I don’t think I ever cursed seriously, actually. But I do have been… careful around you.”

“Why? I don’t mind.”

“Out of courtesy, let’s say.”

Jongin tried to exhale as silently as possible. His heart was beating way too fast for someone just standing. And after a minute, he wondered why Baekhyun was just standing there, looking at the sky and letting Jongdae go through the library. 

Now and then, they would hear a loud swear or a thud as Jongdae explored around. Jongin jumped each time and looked around frantically.

After Jongin did a particularly violent turn-around, Baekhyun said, “Do you wanna hold hands?”

“Excuse — hyung?”

Baekhyun held his hand out for Jongin. As if he was asking him for a dance, Jongin thought wistfully. “I dragged you into this. So, if it helps…”

Feeling way too happy for his given situation, Jongin nodded and took Baekhyun’s hand without looking at him. And they stood there for a minute, holding hands. It did make Jongin feel better. So much better.

“Do you have a pet?”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, I don’t. Not anymore. I used to have a hedgehog though.”

“A hedgehog?” Baekhyun asked, obviously surprised. “How?”

Jongin chuckled. “My father found one just walking on the road when he went to the countryside. So he brought it home and we named him — or her, actually. Now that I think about it, we never checked. How do you even check? Do hedgehogs have a penis?”

“I —” Baekhyun paused and stood there, his mouth still open. “I… don’t know. Probably? Most likely? They reproduce, so… wait, how do they give birth to babies with spikes on their backs? Is the mother hedgehog’s vagina made out of steel? They don’t lay eggs, right? How do I not know anything about hedgehogs?”

“Pfff — we should check,” Jongin said, silently giggling. Then he promptly turned around, still holding Baekhyun’s hand.

“Jongin? What’s wrong?”

“I… I thought I heard rustling. Like someone was coming at me.” Jongin answered, running his free hand over his body, where goosebumps were popping out all around.

“Jongdae?” Baekhyun yelled, probably to see if the weird dude was trying to pull some sort of prank on them.

“What?” came the answer from somewhere upstairs.

“Do you wanna get out of here, Jongin?”

Jongin blinked. They hadn’t even started looking for The Book. “What, now? But hyung — what about the book?”

Baekhyun put his finger on his lips and pointed at the ground. “You’re standing right on it, actually.”

“WHAT?” Jongdae yelled again, sounding irritated.

Jongin looked down at the tile he was standing on and moved his foot back and forth, and sure enough, it was loose. 

They bent down, picked up the tile and started to dig the dirt out.

“Why is the dirt wet? damp?” Jongin whispered.

“WHAT IS IT? WHY DID YOU CALL? WHAT ARE YOU, MY MOM? WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME AND THEN GO ON A SILENT MODE?”

“I think it was because of the rain? It rained like crazy two weeks ago.” Baekhyun whispered back. “I have a bad feeling. Yep, there it goes.”

They took out a pink bundle, which had sleeves.

“Luhan hyung’s hoodie,” Baekhyun said. “He said the book would get dirty — it’s all rotten now. Oh, no…”

“BYUN BAEKHYUN!”

The Book was damaged beyond repair. Even as Baekhyun opened it up, they could see all the pages were smeared into oblivion. Baekhyun tried turning a page, but it ripped and came apart right away. 

“PUPPY, ANSWER ME! I’M YOUR SENIOR! OBEY ME!” 

“Oh well,” Baekhyun sighed and Jongin saw that he was smiling. “The kids will be so disappointed.”

“How did you know it was here?” Jongin asked, running his fingers through the unreadable words.

“Well, they came to give it to me, actually. I didn’t want it so they decided to hide it. I came along since they were all pretty wasted.” Baekhyun said nonchalantly. “I just… didn’t want it. Besides, things were getting out of hand for those who wanted to get their hands on this. I’m actually glad it’s ruined.”

“HOW DARE YOU?”

“Did you, perhaps, oversee that this would happen? The windows were open and this tile is right here with gaps around it — and you were the only one sober that tonight…”

Baekhyun grinned. “Maybe I did —”

“I'LL EAT YOUR COW!”

Jongin frowned and looked up. “Why did he say The Book was upstairs?”

“Aaaaah, that…” Baekhyun sniggered and got up to his feet, wrapping the book back into the rotten pink hoodie. “They built a huge stack of rubbish, out of everything they could find in the library, until they got tired. It’s a hoax meant to divert the simple minded.”

“We’re leaving!” he shouted and they both winced as a ferocious crash echoed throughout the library. Then there was a clank and the sound of Jongdae groaning.

“I’m okay!” Jongdae said, and then something metal hit the floor and the sound of it rolling away was heard before stopping. “I’m okay!”

“A pity,” Jongin mumbled. 

Baekhyun grinned and shoved Jongin gently with his shoulder. 

  
  


“Damn,” The Minho dude said as Baekhyun laid the book down on the table and told everyone what had happened to it.

“Man, I was so excited when I saw Baekhyun hyung holding something when you two came out,” some guy Jongin didn’t know said, looking at The Book, with a little pout. 

“What happens now?”

“What do you mean? It's gone. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Can’t we repair it?”

“No chance. Look, it’s all just colorful blurs now.”

For a moment, everyone went quiet and continued to stare at the crumpled pieces of paper. The bonfire Chanyeol promised was merrily crackling not far from them.

Then, “How could you just leave me behind?” someone whispered into Jongin’s ear. Wild shiver went through Jongin’s spine and he screamed. The girl standing next to him got startled and screamed too, dropping her drink. Almost everyone yelped and screamed and shouted until they heard Jongdae’s ugly cackles.

“Du-uuu-uuude!” Chanyeol said clutching his chest as if he was going to collapse. “Stop creeping on people!”

“What? They left me behind.”

“There’s a reason why you’re always left behind.” Chanyeol muttered and quickly ran behind Joy as Jongdae lunged at him.

“Maybe it’s like one of those moments,” Joy said, tugging her hair behind her ear. “We had been too focused on the legendary book that we didn’t think to enjoy what we have on our hands? Like, we’ve been doing just fine. We wanted it so much much that we didn’t stop to think if we really needed it.

All this time, we had what we needed, you know? Each other. Tonight was great not because we thought we would get to cheat our way through university, it was great because we were together, waiting for Baekhyun oppa and the new hot dancer to come out. It was exciting and fun — and let’s be honest, nobody really expected for The Book to be found.”

Jongdae whipped his head around, furiously pointing at himself. “What about me? Me? Hello? Miss? Me?” 

“Like, the real treasure was the friendship we made on the way?” Joy continued, smiling bashfully. “We all read moments like this in books when we were kids. Now we’re old enough to live through it. I’d say that’s pretty nice.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone contemplated Joy’s beautiful words.

Then, “Bullshit!” Jongdae wailed.

“I was so excited!”

“Might as well drop out now.”

“It’s not like I can disappoint my parents any further.”

“I still think we might be able to restore it.”

“Can’t we salvage at least a page?”

“Why do I even — hyung!”

Baekhyun took The Book and threw it into the bonfire. There was a collective scandalised sharp inhale from everyone and then nobody spoke. 

_ Shuuuuuuuuuung! Pooooooofffff! Bew! Bew! Bew! Bew! Bew! _

As if of one body and mind, everybody looked up and watched the fireworks explode. Chanyeol pointed at a small group of people, who had gotten up to the nearest building’s roof.

People started laughing. They clunk their drinks and cheered up as more and more fireworks were launched into the sky.

Sehun gave Jongin a little nudge and looked pointedly at Baekhyun, who was still standing by the fire. Jongin nodded, fixed his hair up a bit and went to stand by Baekhyun.

Baekhyun didn’t say anything when Jongin joined him, but he did smile and tentatively took a hold of Jongin’s hand.

And just like that, Jongin thought, it was the most beautiful night he had ever lived through. Until —

“WATCH OUT! SUHO! STOOOOOP!”

It all happened like the highlight scene of an action movie: in slow motion as people stood staring. Jongin watched in horror as the mad goat came charging through the crowd. He saw Jongdae frozen on the spot, ready to be killed.

Without thinking, like an idiot, Jongin moved faster than he thought he was able to — his body seemed to be moving before his brain could catch up — and pushed Jongdae aside just in time. He gasped and grunted as a sharp pain shot through his leg and then up through his spine.

Someone screamed as Jongin fell. This, too, seemed to happen in frame by frame.

He caught the sight of the moon, the stars and the endless, cloudless sky. How had he not realized and appreciated just how beautiful life was?

Everything went dark.

For, like, four seconds, as Sehun would tell him later on with a scoff.

Someone was slapping him gently but urgently. Jongin wished they would stop. He opened his eyes and was momentarily stunned as he looked at Kim Woobin’s fierce ones.

“What’s your name?”

“Kim Jongin.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“At a party? I’m on the ground right now though.”

“How many fingers am I holding?” Kim Woobin asked, holding out three fingers.

“Three?”   
  


“Are you not sure?”

“No, I’m sure. I’m just wondering why you’re asking me that.”

“To see if you have a concussion,”

“Let me through! LET ME THROUGH!” Jongdae burst in from somewhere and threw himself on Jongin. “You saved me!” he moaned and then started planting kisses all over Jongin’s face, as if he was some sort of an alien trying to plant his eggs inside him.

“Get off! Dude — Jongdae, let him breath!” Kim Woobin — Jongin’s hero — shoved Jongdae aside, who fell on his butt but then took a hold of Jongin’s hand, clutching it to his face like Jongin was bleeding out and was to die in any minute.

“Someone catch THAT GOAT!” came a booming voice of Chanyeol, not far from where Jongin was. 

“Someone call Junmyeon! He’s the one who brought the goat.” someone was saying. “Why didn’t he come tonight anyway?”

“Dude, he is off in the army.”

“Oh, shit. Really?”

“He should go to a hospital!” a girl cried.

“He’ll be fine. You’re just saying that cause he’s handsome.” a boy said.

“So what if I am? People as hot as him should be protected at all cost.” the girl defended herself. Jongin felt warm despite his bizarre situation.

“Well then, handsome. Do you think you can get up?” Kim Woobin asked.

Jongin shifted a bit and nodded. “Yeah,”

“Then, come here,” Kim Woobin clasped his hand and pulled him up, surprisingly gentle for someone so tough looking.

Jongin sat up and felt someone rub his back soothingly. He turned to his left and smiled at Baekhyun, who was looking very small and pale. “Hyung…”

“You okay?”

“I think so.”

“Baekhyun, get him up and see if he can walk straight. I’ll meet you up at my car — it’s in front of Love Shot. I need to go get my key.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Baekhyun’s right arm was wrapped around Jongin’s back as they walked. Sehun was frantically searching up ways someone can die minutes after getting knocked out by a goat.

“It’s almost like you’re hopeful,” Jongin said, feigning hurt. “You want my room that badly huh?”

“Shut up. Your brain might be bleeding.”

“It’s not.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Okay, fine. I don’t know that. But I do know that your eyes will go bad if you don’t stop squinting at your phone in the dark. My eyes hurt just looking at you.”

“I lowered the brightness.”

“Still bad for you.”

“This here says you might die!”

“The Internet always says we’ll die, Sehun. You sneezed wrong? You’ll die. Your eyes are red? You’re dying. You didn’t drink eight glasses of water today? Your funeral was last week. Seriously, Sehun, don’t read those.”

Sehun mumbled something (probably a curse) and put his phone in his pocket. 

Jongin eyed Baekhyun, who was so unusually quiet. He smiled though, when he noticed Jongin looking at him.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah. You’re the one who passed out just now.”

“Who is this Junmyeon person? Did I hear it right? He brought the mad goat?”

“Hey, he was afraid of the fireworks,” Sehun said.

“ _ Why _ are you defending that stupid goat?” Jongin turned to Sehun, feeling very betrayed. “

“We clicked.”

“What  _ do you mean _ you ‘clicked’? It’s a goat, Sehun. A mad one.”

“He got startled, is all! Those idiots were blasting stuff everywhere!”

“I almost died!”

“You just said you were fine!”

Suddenly, Baekhyun started laughing and then Jongin was laughing too. Sehun looked alarmed for a moment but then he burst into a stupid laughter of his own too.

When Kim Woobin arrived at his car, that was how he found the three of them — clutching their stomachs and trying to hold on to each other for support, their eyes twinkling with happy tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the reasons why this chapter wasn't posted two-three days ago:
> 
> 1.) I wrote over three thousand word for the library scene, which I ended up completely scrapping. It got way too supernatural and I decided to make it into a whole another story. So I had to write everything from the beginning. The ghost was real and she knew who Jongin and Baekhyun were...
> 
> 2.) Jongdae wouldn't shut up.
> 
> 3.) I ended up deleting some small scenes and details (that I thought were unnecessary) and then had to edit the story around to make each parts fit. 
> 
> 4.) I thought this chapter was boring. Otherwise, it would have been out yesterday lol. But I read through it today and seemed okay, so here you go ^^
> 
> The next chapter will reveal: Did Jongdae see the ghost? Will Baekhyun kiss Jongin to make his boo boo better? lol I'm so sorry about the planted kiss btw. From the beginning, I saw Jongdae being the first to kiss Jongin. 
> 
> Now I gotta figure out if I want to include the car ride to the hospital, in the next chapter.
> 
> Also, The Book was slightly inspired by my senior year notebooks. Not that you asked lol
> 
> I was actually a pretty good student and my notes were really good. I didn't, like, use them or anything (I regret to say I was quite lazy) but my notes were good because I simply enjoyed writing down stuff neatly. My hand writing was good and my primary and middle school teachers really drilled into my head the importance of neat, organised notebooks. Throughout high school some of my teachers would take my notebook that I used that year. They would use it the next year to check what they taught and when they taught it. So the youngsters already knew about me before they met me. A girl asked if she could have my Biology notebook and I said yes, and then someone else wanted it and there was a small argument... and I just wanted to go home, watch Ouran High School Host Club and eat ice cream.


	5. If You Hate Someone, Wish a Bad Neighbor on Them.

The demonic goat didn’t kill him, but this ride would, Jongin thought to himself.

Reason one (and only): Kim Jongdae was in the car with them.

“Let’s go to the Miracle Hospital,” Jongdae said from the front. Why he, who did not get run over by a foul goat, was sitting in the passenger seat was the mystery of the century. He was also eating some chips.

Jongin hadn’t even noticed him get into the car, but as they drove through the campus gate, Jongdae’s foul voice came from the front, like the highlight moment of a scary movie, where the characters find out the killer was one of them all along.

“We’re going to the Universe. It’s the closest one.” Kim Woobin said.

“Let’s go to the Miracle Hospital,” Jongdae said, as if he was saying it for the first time. “my mom works there.”

“I have to take him to the closest hospital — we’re going to Universe,” Kim Woobin retorted.

“Miracle is better. They’re not that from each other and —”

“We’re going to Universe!” Baekhyun said. “Shut up, Jongdae. Why are you even here?”

“Why are  _ you  _ here? Huh? What are you to our Puppy?”

“I’m his… roommate!”

“Well, I’m the one he saved. That means he likes me best, that’s why I’m here. I’m blessing him with my presence.”

Something inside Jongin’s head was getting close to snapping in half.

“You were the only one just standing there like a moron,” Sehun said softly, almost gently.

Jongdae turned on his spot and looked at Sehun over the headrest. “Another puppy,” he said, sounding curious. “Hmmmm... “ he stared at Sehun for a very long, uncomfortable moment before flopping back into his seat. “So, we’re going to Miracle,”

“Universe, now be quiet. Otherwise I can drop you off here and you can walk back.” Kim Woobin said coolly. He didn’t sound worked up at all.

“But my Mom — it helps if there’s someone you know in hospitals!” Jongdae shouted.

“I don’t know your mother,” Jongin mumbled, wishing he was back in their room, eating some kimbap and watching some anime with Baekhyun.

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun said politely.

“Yes?” Jongdae answered. Jongin noticed that he sounded wary. 

“Doesn’t your mother work in human resource?”

“Oh my — don’t be sexist!”

Kim Woobin snorted.

Baekhyun gasped. “How am I —  _ How _ is that sexist, you shithead?!”

“I’m insulted on behalf of my mother, who never made a single misdeed. To make me feel better, we’re going to Miracle!”

“Universe!”

“I’m gonna die,” Jongin mumbled. Nobody heard him.

“Miracle!”

“UNI —”

“Shut it!”

They stopped at a light, but the action was still in its full swing inside the car. Jongin saw a little girl in the backseat of a car beside them, watching them and smiling. Some drool was making its way to freedom from the corner of her mouth. Jongin smiled and waved at her, she waved at him back enthusiastically.

“You shouldn’t even be here!” Jongdae yelled and Jongin saw Sehun wince at the piercing sound. “I’m the one he risked his life for!”

“It wasn nothing personal! He would have saved anyone, because he’s a decent human being, unlike you. And I know that because I know him, unlike you. And I bet he’s regretting —” 

“Actually, look, Black Pearl is the closest,” Sehun said, showing his phone to Baekhyun.

“Shit, you’re right.” Baekhyun said calmly, as if he wasn’t shouting at Jongdae just a moment ago.

“I forgot. It’s a new hospital, barely two years old. Well done…” Kim Woobin looked at Sehun through the rear mirror.

“Sehun. I’m Oh Sehun.”

For some strange reason, Jongdae didn’t raise an objection. 

  
  


(｀Д´)

  
  


“So, he doesn’t have a concussion?” Baekhyun asked.

“He doesn't have a concussion,” The nurse said.

“He doesn’t have a concussion.” Said Kim Woobin.

“Yes.” 

“No concussion.” Said Sehun.

“No concussion.” 

“So, he won’t die?” Jongdae said, sounding completely disappointed.

“No,” the nurse said, furrowing her eyebrows.

“And it can’t happen afterwards, right? The concussion. He doesn’t have it so he won’t have it.” Baekhyun said. He was absentmindedly running his hand through Jongin’s hair, which was why Jongin was unable to say a word.

“Unless another goat attacks him, no. You can sign the form and go.” she added, looking at Jongin over her silver spectacles.

The nurse had her hair wrapped into a tight bun. She was wearing a white cardigan over her uniform, and she hadn't shown even the slightest sign of surprise when they told her what had happened.

There came a sound of some electronic punches, some exaggerated screams and then,“FINISH HIM!” a horribly familiar voice ordered.

Kim Woobin smacked Jongdae’s head and said, “Put your phone away! I thought you were worried about him. How can you be playing a game right now?”

“Well, it was pretty obvious he wasn’t going to die. I got bored.” Jongdae whined, putting his phone back into his pocket. 

The nurse tutted. “Of course you’d be bored, considering the life you lead.”

Jongdae looked up. “Eh?”

The nurse turned to Jongin and smiled. “This one came here last year with a severe stomachache. He was vomiting everywhere and was drenched in his own sweat. He had just eaten some soap over a dare, you see? Called it a casual Tuesday night.”

“I came  _ here _ ?! Not Universe? And, no fair!” Jongdae hollered at the nurse. “Personal information and all that! Isn’t it illegal to reveal my medical records to these people?”

“ _ These people? _ ” Kim Woobin raised an eyebrow.

“Sue me, then.” the nurse said coolly and walked away, taking Jongin’s signed form.

“Well, at least now we know why he didn’t want to go to Universe so badly.” Baekhyun said, still carding his fingers through Jongin’s hair.

“You ate a bar of soap?” Sehun said.

Jongdae groaned and slowly sunk down to the floor. “Just some,” he muttered. “I was young. Let it go.”

“We shan’t,” Baekhyun said.

They left him there.

(¬､¬)

  
  


Kim Woobin drove them back to campus and went home. Jongdae said something about picking a fight with the Minho dude and went back to the party, after of course hugging Jongin tightly to thank him, for the life that Jongin saved and was secretly wishing he hadn’t.

They dropped off Sehun in his room and then went up together. The dormitory was eerily silent, as most of its occupants seemed to be still at the party.

Their room was a little bit stuffy as they had closed the windows when they left earlier. Baekhyun had insisted that some bird would come and poop on their bed. 

Baekhyun said Jongin should shower first since he cheated death today. He said he would even take his laundry down tomorrow for him. 

Feeling tired but glad to be back in their room, Jongin started to take off his clothes. “Ow! … oh,”

“What? What’s wrong?” 

Jongin sheepishly smiled and showed Baekhyun’s his inner thigh, where a large bruise was forming.

“I knew I got hit somewhere.”

Baekhyun grimaced and breathed in through his closed teeth, hissing. “That looks bad. How did you not feel this before?”

Jongin shrugged. “Adrenaline? I felt something, but it didn’t hurt bad. Don’t you get that too, hyung? Some part of your body just randomly hurts and you can’t care to check it out?”

“Yeah, I do. But…” Baekhyun pointed at Jongin’s thigh with his chin. “That’s huge. Maybe we should put some ice on it? Or massage it to relieve the muscle? Or will that just make it worse? How do I not know anything about bruises?

Jongin didn’t have any answer to that. He was too busy cooing over Baekhyun’s big ears. 

Suddenly Baekhyun’s fingers were on the bruise and Jongin forgot to breathe. Baekhyun’s fingers were cold and they felt incredibly smooth. But the sensation didn’t last long, much to Jongin’s dismay, as Baekhyun seemed to snap out of whatever that made him touch Jongin in the first place.

“Sorry,” he said, giving Jongin a small, apologetic look. “Did I hurt you?”

Jongin gulped. “No,” he said. He wanted to say ‘you could never hurt me,’ but thought it was too dramatic, even if it was true.

While Baekhyun showered, Jongin wrote to Sehun.

_ Nini: Dude, that goat went for my dick _

_ Sehun: excuse me? And his name is Suho, and you know it. _

Jongin snapped a photo of his injured leg and sent it to Sehun, who would surely change his mind about the beast, once he saw how close his best friend got to the sweet ending brought by (yours truly) death.

_ Sehun: dude that looks bad _

_ Nini: that’s it? _

_ Sehun: what? _

_ Nini: I could have lost my dick. Why aren’t you screaming for the imbecile’s death?????? _

_ Sehun: But you didn’t. _

_ Nini: I almost lost MY DICK! _

_ Sehun: But did you die? _

_ Nini: you suck _

_ Sehun: if you did lose it though _

_ Sehun: it would have been one hell of a story to tell _

_ Nini: dude, you would trade my dick for a story? _

_ Sehun: dude, I’d trade your dick for a piece of gum _

Jongin sat up on his bed and was just thinking over which insult to use on Sehun— who had apparently stopped loving Jongin after just one week at their new school— when the soft click of the bathroom door was heard. Jongin turned off the screen, flung his phone away and lied back down on his bed. He knew he would die if Baekhyun found out his screen name for KakaoTalk was  _ Nini _ . He was just not ready yet, that is why he had given his Line I.D to Baekhyun, on which his name showed as just  _ Kim Jongin _ .

Baekhyun looked so soft in his dark blue pajama set. He was proper like that.

“Were you texting Sehun?” Baekhyun asked, wiping his hair dry with his bright yellow towel. 

Jongin had to ignore the urge to pull Baekhyun down to himself. He just looked too.damn.cute. His ears were sticking out and his eyes looked droopy but bright, and he smelled so good, too. Sue Jongin.

“Uh-haha, you saw that?”

“Mmmhmmm,”

Baekhyun put his towels over his desk and chair, as they had no room for a drying rack. He started to smear some cream onto his face roughly. He was done in three seconds. Then he picked up the book he was reading, propped his pillow against the headboard and got under his blanket.

“What are you reading?”

Baekhyun showed him the book. “It’s called Before Coffee Gets Cold. It has a mysterious cafe that can send you back to the past, or to the future. There are some rules that seriously limit what you can do, and it’s written in a really unfamiliar way, but it’s not hard to keep up as long as you remember the characters, which is not hard to do since they’re all so individually unique.”

Jongin grinned. Baekhyun looked so excited. Jongin liked that.

“Can I read it after you’re done?”

Baekhyun nodded. “Sure… now, will you share a chocolate bar with me? I know I brushed my teeth but I’m a sucker for chocolate while I’m reading.” He opened up the drawer under his bed, opened the little case that was full of snacks and pulled out a chocolate with almond. “I swear I will do this very rarely.”

Baekhyun looked timid and hopeful, and since Jongin couldn’t eat him, he would have to settle for the chocolate. For now. He could never say no to Baekhyun anyway.

  
  


o(^-^)o

  
  


“Did you clean the sink?” Baekhyun said, flipping through his manga with leisure. He had propped himself on his elbows and was lying on his stomach, his feet were in the air, crossed. There was a bag of Baekhyun’s favorite chips open on the bed, and a can of cola zero on the floor.

Jongin was reading a manga book too, but most of his time was spent stealing glances at Baekhyun while chewing on his tiny bear paw shaped biscuits.

The windows were open and the room was alight thanks to the bright sun. Now and then, the warm breeze would float in. Jongdae was cleaning their room, Baekhyun and Jongin had finished all of their homework, and they had a plan to have dinner in the city with Sehun tonight. All in all, it was the perfect day. 

“Yes.” Jongdae said, now wiping Baekhyun’s desk.

“With baking soda and vinegar?”

“Yes. Fuck off.”

Baekhyun hummed nonchalantly. “I think I won’t. Did you wash the floor twice?”

“Of course I did. I’m a man of my words.”

Jongin saw Jongdae making faces at Baekhyun’s Deadpool plushie.

When Jongdae arrived in the morning to clean their home, Jongin hadn’t known that Jongdae was weird about keeping his words. But it was obvious that he had meant business. He was wearing a grey apron, had a white towel wrapped around his head, and was holding a little basket with some cleaning products and tools.

Even though he kept wincing and groaning, he did a very thorough job out of their humble room. He scrubbed without complaining, but while whistling a cheery tune. He even went down to do their laundry and brought it back all cleaned and dried, with the help of a small timer.

He spent longer time cleaning Jongin’s desk than he did on Baekhyun’s. At first Jongin thought maybe Jongdae was trying to snoop around to find some dirt on him. But when Jongdae wiped Jongin’s bed with a clear determination on his face, Jongin wondered if Jongdae was trying to show his gratitude, in his own strange way.

“Jongdae, are you in pain? Why do you keep making those ugly moans?” Baekhyun said, after Jongdae had given a particularly loud groan as he straightened his back.

“I’m in hell, but what do you know about my moaning? This could be my pleasure noise.”

“I know what your pleasure noise is.”

Jongin whipped his head at Baekhyun, who made a face as if he was trying to smother down an eager memory ready to resurface. “We went hiking last year and he met a girl on the way. Long story. I’ll tell you about it never, for your protection.”

Sniggering, Jongin nodded. 

Jongdae looked from Jongin to Baekhyun, lips curled downwards in disgust, probably.

“I’ll let you know that I’m a fantastic lover.”

“Sure you are.”

Jongdae wiggled on the spot in frustration and a series of whining sounds came from his mouth. Jongin froze, horrified at what he was witnessing.

“Eeeeuuuhhh… hnng! Fine, I won’t tell you why I’m in so much pain. It’s an epic story.”

“‘Kay,” Baekhyun said.

Jongdae glared at Baekhyun, who looked supremely unbothered, so he turned to Jongin. “Puppy, you wanna hear the story right?”

Jongin nodded, only because he wanted Jongdae to stop wiggling his butt.

Thankfully, Jongdae stopped moving, took a deep breath, and said, “I saw the ghost. Minho hyung made me workout at the crack of dawn’s ass today.”

Baekhyun and Jongin both sat up on their beds. Baekhyun’s chips fell on the floor and spilled, but nobody paid any attention to it.

“Really?”

“Where?”

“When?”

“Did she try to kill you?”

Looking thoroughly pleased at their reaction, Jongdae smartly sat down on Baekhyun’s chair and began telling the story.

“So last night, I went home after rubbing my victory in Minho hyung’s face, right?”

Jongin and Baekhyun nodded.

“While I was showering, I thought I heard my door make that beeping sound it makes when you come home. You know what I’m talking about, right?”

Jongin and Baekhyun nodded.

“Of course, I thought I heard wrong. Maybe it was just my imagination, or it was my neighbor’s door. I live alone and my parents wouldn’t come barging in at that late hour. Minseok hyung knows my passcode, but he’s so busy these days he doesn’t even see his own home much.

“But when I came to the living room, I saw that the entrance light was on! It’s automatic, but it only stays on if you’re moving right there, you know? If you stay still, it turns off, you know?”

Jongin and Baekhyun nodded, urging Jongdae to go on. Baekhyun had, at some point, taken his bag of chips off the floor and was now eating very slowly. He had, once again, tucked his hoodie behind his ears, probably in an effort to hear better.

“I was frozen.” Jongdae continued. “I stood there looking at the entrance and it stayed on and on and on. I couldn’t move and the light wouldn’t turn off. So I dashed to my couch — I just needed to put something behind my back, man. Do you know how scary it is to have your back exposed like that? And I turned on the TV. After a minute, the light went off.” 

Jongdae put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. He licked his lips and looked over his back nervously. “I swear, I heard someone shuffling into the room. You know that sound your bare feet make on the bare floor?”

Jongin and Baekhyun nodded. Baekhyun had a piece of chips between his lips.

“It was soft but I definitely heard it. So I screamed and slapped myself really hard.”

“Then what happened?” Jongin said.

“My neighbor cursed at me. Officetels have really thin walls.”

“And then?”

Jongdae stared at the floor. “I heard something. Like, breathing, or blowing but gently. I could  _ sense  _ that someone was there with me. I never knew I could do that. It was freaking me out because I had never experienced anything like it, nor did I believe in ghosts or any other supernatural beings…

“Then I remembered something Minseok hyung once said. He said that if a ghost is bothering you, you just need to be tough and talk to it, tell the ghost to go away. He said that ghosts aren’t as scary as we think they are, and that they would listen to us.”

“So you yelled at a girl.” said Baekhyun, sounding unimpressed.

Jongdae’s mouth fell open. “ _ She’s a ghost!  _ And she was disturbing my peace, threatening my health, and my dinner was all cold by the time I got to it.”

“So what happened when you yelled at her?” Jongin said.

“Actually,” Jongdae said. “I kind of screamed at her.”

“So what happened when you screamed at her?”

“My neighbor cursed at me.”

“Did she leave?”

Jongdae shook his head. “She… came out. She was visible to me. And all of a sudden… I wasn’t afraid.”

“Really?”

“No, I shat my pants.”

Baekhyun snorted. “Not like it’s your first time.”

“Aww, don’t be so mean, hyung,” Jongin said, grinning at the grumpy, pouty look on Jongdae’s face. “We all grew up pooping in our pants.”

“Oh, no, no, not like that,” Baekhyun said. “You see Jongin, Jongdae here shat his pants when he was, like twelve.”

“NoOOOoooo!” Jongdae yelled, throwing the Deadpool plushie at Baekhyun, who caught it calmly in one hand and gently put it down on his bed.

“Yeah, he was trying to force out a fart, but then ended up shitting himself.”

Jongdae screamed non-stop as he got out of the room. He stopped screaming, only to yell, “Puppy wasn’t supposed to know that! TRAITOR!” Then he went back to his screaming, Jongin and Baekhyun listened to him scream for a good minute until he, presumably, went too far for them to hear him.

Jongin wiped the tears out of his eyes and looked over at Baekhyun, who was already looking at him, since when, Jongin didn’t know. They were both still weakly laughing and Jongin wished that he had the ability to select and store his memories. He wanted to remember this forever and watch it again, live it again, feel it again, whenever he wanted. Because he knew, with every fibre of his being, with every tingle on his skin, and with every erratic beat of his heart, that he was in love with Baekhyun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title has got nothing to do with the story, I'm just losing sleep because of my horrible horrible downstairs neighbors. 
> 
> Also, what the fuck is going on, man.


End file.
